in the 2nd week of january, christine were there for us now. ballot counting is underway in hong kong at 1st elections since a crackdown on a pro democracy movement by beijing turned out was on track to hit record. loves is the 1st legislative council elections since beijing impose a sweeping national security law and reformed the electoral system. many opposition candidates have been silenced, jails or have fled a territory that's all from us. for now, there's more on the 2016 at berlin, a christmas market attack next in our documentary series from top film data for that, i'll see you at the top of the hour with more news the landscape, a reflection of a turbulent history. the cities, a mosaic of different people and languages. e, ron's mountains reveal unparalleled beauty. those special look at

a special country round from above. starts december 27th on d w. ah, it was, this was a terrorist attack. so it was a failure of the state and the state doesn't came stop is, doesn't go on and i'm not the scandals don't stop coming. even still today be amazed. we don't think we'll ever know what really happened was vicki. why and how it was possible for this attack will take place from couldn't la preparation to wage holy war in germany a lot, but that b o r o. this footage was filmed in the cell phone of the future terrorist chinese ian under some name. it is a rare look inside an incident. lynn. the men known to places security threats,

celebrated themselves and their ideology, fantasizing about killing in the name of god. with all the while and his amory a self proclaimed preacher was preparing to commit the worst islamist terrorist attack in germany's history. ah, on the evening of december, the 19th 2016 and as amory drove a truck into visitors of the christmas market in berlin square known as bright, shy plants. next to the kaiser wilhelm memorial church, 13 people died. more than a 100 people suffered injuries, some very serious with minutes after the crime, the perpetrator was seen raising his index,

finger in the air in a g. had his gesture, as if he and his supporters were invincible. ah, via worcester. another who knew about emery's crime in here who may have supported or protected him back if there are other perpetrators or accomplices if i get we will bring them to justice. so i had just seen in june 2021 survivors of the attack as well as relatives that the victims met in berlin to show solidarity. nearly 5 years after the terrorist attack german politicians were preparing to draw a line under the affair. the next morning, a parliamentary investigative committee would present its final report. i left, but the people here, i said it wouldn't bring closure their character as if they're gonna of nothing. it

all has been resolved, went on the contrary. there's always something new and it's being censored, it makes me really sad, ogazio how wish either hummed in mind, none of us believe we'll learn the truth yet because the intelligence agencies aren't actually interested in disclosing the information with you. even though they're obligated to disclose everything to a parliamentary investigative committee is open. so i simply withhold information under the banner of secrecy ha, from its own infra swiping in with an employer. we have to live with the consequences, with the fact that they didn't do their job. the government avowed to say this and to do that, i thought, and as far as i'm concerned, they still haven't lived up to those promises. fine old this hoyt in the study. i also disappointed in chancellor merkel. yes. buffy the victims of being re traumatized again and again. survivors and relatives are preparing a lawsuit against the state. because even after 5 years,

there are problems with aid for victims, with a disclosure of mistakes by security agencies, and with the wider investigation into how the attack came about. the authorities quickly determined that the terrorist was working alone, a conclusion that was probably also an attempt to explain why they hadn't sufficiently monitored the umbrella networks and why they didn't stop him in time. 4 days after the attack on us army was shot dead by police in italy, effectively ending the criminal case against him. but country to what police and intelligent services of climbed. i'll research suggests that i'm re, was not alone wolf. he was, instead part of the international terrorist network of the so called islamic state or ins, with connections to the would be caliphate center of power in syria. or

for the 1st time, an investigation by general public broadcast at a r d has uncovered a photo of a suspected mastermind of the christmas market attack. apple barrack, i'd iraqi, otherwise known as ali, has seen as ease head of a secret ice unit focused on terrorist attacks abroad. early on in the investigation intelligence services and germany's criminal place received an explosive tip out of abu dhabi on the morning of me is even 2016. just 12 days after the attack, an intelligence agent confidentially reported our quote tip about the person ordering the burden christmas market attack from what was described as a highly reliable, intelligent source the ice command who ordered the attack was said to be abdul alba, ali iraqi,

who wiggly travelled between turkey and syria, over the days and weeks that followed the information became more solid and was deemed reliable by agency experts. federalists is came to light. the approximately 45 year old man was described as having a full bead and organized as the activity of ins in germany. for weeks police and intelligent services had reliable indications that germany's worst islamist terrorist attack had been ordered by somebody. and yet their response was to search the internet for the man without any concrete results. later, a parliamentary inquiry would examine the security authorities, mistakes and emissions. benjamin sasa, lawmakers from the free democratic party, asked about the tip off. at the intelligence official in charge described the late

as trivial and not have any value. the investigative committee was not convinced. in the fall of 2020, an official admitted that federal police had not investigated it much further. my hot stronger man, we'd already taken notes that this tip was probably not handled with. the necessary care is certainly not by germany's intelligence service, but not by the federal police. i done, i ended up at the end of questioning. after some back and forth, i asked him whether it was right to say that the intelligence had pete it out on the and the witness said, yes, that's correct. i correct. we decided to follow the trailed piece it out for german authorities. this is the kurdish part of iraq. the kurds were instrumental in defeating ice militarily, albeit at great cost. i always kept this science on the terrorist organizations intelligence service. we learned that the man gemini,

placed unsuccessfully searched the internet for who one suspected of ordering. the christmas market attack was known to rocky security authorities, ice terrorist army. barack, was at the top of the iraqi wanted list. this is the headquarters of the governing patriotic union. of kurdistan senior party member. saudi armed mid piera is preparing for an interview with kurdish television. he is an internationally respected foreign policy expert who fostered good relations with german military on the ground. oh, he confirmed some explosive facts. his information about our bill baran, exactly match that from the german intelligent source, linking parent to the christmas market attack. oh oh, what are we couldn't and in a word we can say that abu baran was one of the top organizers of terrorist acts

abroad, especially in germany, france and britain deutsch gun. so germany was included, rein included. does you mean he was a top terrorism plan? for germany, my boyfriend, a top terrorism planner for europe as a whole, but especially for germany, britain, france, and we found further leads in the kurdish region of syria. this is an intended can't. the captured i as fighters among the imprisoned members of the terrorist group. we found obs barrows full, my deputy, a turkish man named alias i deem as part of ios is intelligence arm he's responsible for tax had killed dozens of people, such as here in turkey. he claims to him for food i deem was careful not to incriminate himself in the

christmas market attack. but he confirmed ob ibarra played a central role in planning terrorist acts in europe. as the right hand man of senior leader, uphill mohammed al agnoni. according to i, dean a barbara and iraqi is the man behind the mosque to ricky at a non his side. i said that a woman with online, if up non he wanted to send someone to germany or france for example, or other lock. he was asked whether he thought the person could be trusted, a kid or any use of what about the explosions in 2014 audi 2015 were all organized under the supervision of abala oligarchy. and rocca will not topic that's a fact we bought out of can and, and western intelligence services know it as well as i do that. gotcha video lot. got the list to body thought women when and i even yoletta nani. the terrorist rich chief strategist was killed u. s. military drones strike 4 months before the attack in berlin. his deputy

algebra on it on the key, allegedly responsible for directing the christmas market attack was also hit by an air strike at the end of 2016. at least according to his former accompanies america by them. on that day, i was in a rock officer and i heard another explosion. an announcement came over the radio saying nobody should move because it was still too dangerous truck. the colleague next me eventually picked up a phone or been found all at ocoee had been killed by master. i could that the later, the strike was confirmed little shogun, the kurdish authorities believe abolaren is still alive and could still be working behind the scenes for the terrorist group. they continue to search for him, of a know repaid luda here with google, as whether he's in europe or here, but dash, he's wanted as a major figure in the islamic state, terrorist group didn't give man fee outcomes as the man in charge of foreign

activities, though he certainly dangerous, had drugged put into a saying both, and he's also of key interest to germany. sure, sure. front fair, i think it's important for our co operation that we find out where he is, the fish and better yet put him on trial. in forget it. back in germany, we asked prosecutors whether they're investigating abolaren, but they didn't want to say i'll findings alarm to lawmaker than humans, theresa? yeah, under his i does all. it's also about securing germany against future attacks. if it's possible, but masterminds of the berlin christmas market attack are still alive and at large and integrated into the structure of ins. then that's a danger to germany. security alice. so it's not only in the interest of victims and survivors in terms of bringing the perpetrators to justice. it's also vital for

us, for germany that such people be tracked down with her mentioned awesome for candidates . all german investigators were previously wound about avalera following the 2015 attacks in paris, which left a 130 people dead more than a year before the christmas market attack in berlin. adler, us name came up internally as that likely plan. out of the paris attacks. meanwhile, german police plant additional security measures and the cold would galaxy, the nevada and oceans. the name was known to german security authorities movie. and what's more disconcerting is the fact that at some point they stopped really paying attention to it, as the witness explains during our inquiry wise all thus, yet, that's why i expect the federal prosecutor to carry out follow up investigations and actually traced this lead to determine whether this man is still alive and whether he actually ordered the attack on the bright shide plots,

christmas markets on flock, i'm punch had lots of pocket game hot, whom would kurdistan assist german police after? absolutely, we'd help of course. sure. these schools that have trained terrorists are still active in europe in over there, a threat to europe and give a few. they're certainly a threat to europe too because they have no chance of a normal life here in their villages and provinces in iraq. anita, if they want to survive. the only thing left for them to do is leave the country forbid you believe. so it's possible the terrorist network continues to be a danger. ah, may easy thing. great in 20. 17 burnham unveiled a memorial at the start of the attack. it provides little comfort to the survivors and victims relatives.